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It was a moment that Antoni Sarcevic had rehearsed in his head many times but the Bolton skipper refuses to dwell on his Lincoln City winner for too long.
After sending the away stand into raptures with a 77th minute strike at the LNER Stadium the midfielder was quick to get his feet back on to terra firm after the final whistle and start preparations for this weekend’s home game against Oxford United.
Sarcevic has made a habit out of scoring late goals since taking on the captain’s armband last summer, rescuing points against Barrow, Cambridge and Mansfield last season when the league table made much more difficult viewing than it does at present.
But after leading the team to promotion and scoring another crucial goal in that memorable win against Crawley on the final day of last season, Sarcevic admits it was sweet to score another important strike to announce the club’s arrival back in the third tier.
“I was sat in my hotel room thinking of that scenario over and over again,” he told The Bolton News. “I go to bed dreaming of scoring a winner like that before the game, “The following of supporters we got there (at Lincoln), I am just so happy we got a win for them.
“It is one game, though, and we’re only three in. Now we have to focus on Saturday.
“A goal is a bonus. I do everything I can, try and cover every blade of grass. It’s nice scoring a goal but getting three points for the boys is all that matters.”
Having had the goalscoring spotlight stolen from him in the first couple of games by new arrival Josh Sheehan, Sarcevic joked that it was nice to be in the right place at the right time once again.
“We were laughing in the dressing room that Sheens has been getting in all the right positions, but I just work hard and chipping in with a goal is a bonus,” he said. “I am the type of lads who wears his heart on his sleeve, so it’s great to score and get three points for the boys.
“It shouldn’t really be the first win but it’s nice, we came here and dominated a team that people think will be up there, so the result speaks for itself.”
Though Wanderers had remained unbeaten in their opening two games, there were questions asked of their defending against MK Dons and Wimbledon as they racked up successive 3-3 draws.
Evatt brought his players together for an in-depth meeting on Monday to discuss areas he wanted to improve, and where he saw Lincoln’s strengths lie. And Sarcevic felt well-prepared when he took to the pitch on Tuesday night.
“We had a strong meeting with the gaffer and the boys,” he said. “We are a good team, we know that, but we can’t let leads slip like we did on Saturday. We are in League One now and things are different, we have to cut out mistakes.
“I think we were back to our best and we dominated a good half of football.
“We proved what we can do when we play like ourselves.
“Maybe those first two games was a bit of a rush of blood? A bit too much excitement?
“Conceding goals as well – but that was much more like it.”
Since Sarcevic scored the consolation goal in defeat at Tranmere in January, Wanderers have lost just three of their next 31 games in league and cup, winning 17.
Even given Bolton’s slow start to last season, Ian Evatt’s 45.45 per cent winning percentage as Bolton boss is the club’s best since Bruce Rioch (48.26).
The wining mentality, says Sarcevic, has spread into this season and the club captain is hoping it will be enough to bring success.
“I think we have carried things on from last season,” he said. “I saw a stat saying we’d only lost three of our last 30 games since January. Stick with us, it’s a good time to be with us. We’re a good group of lads in there. We are all fighting to get this club back to where it belongs and winning football matches.”
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